multiverse
[muhl-ti-vurs]
noun
(in
physics
and
cosmology)
a
hypothetical
collection
of
identical
or
diverse
universes,
including
our
own.
*********************
Adam
looked around. The diner’s decor was
simple, yet comfortable. The tables and
booths were all clean and in good condition, a few photos of a group of people in
various places hung above the bar. Cakes
and pies were lined up under clear glass coverings at regular intervals,
begging to be eaten. All in all, it was
a fine example of a diner. And Adam had
no idea how he had gotten there.
He had
been walking through the city on his way to lunch, minding his own business,
when all of a sudden, he was standing inside a diner. What was really eerie about it was that he
was completely alone. Every table was
devoid of patrons, and no employees could be seen.
“Hello?”
He called into the empty diner.
He got
no response. He turned to the door,
ready to leave and find a more normal eatery, but thought better of it. He was hungry, and he was in a place to get
food. Mysterious circumstances aside, he
figured he might as well give it a try.
He sat down at a booth and waited, passing the time by looking out the
large window adjacent to his chosen seat.
It showed a pleasant field filled with grass and flowers of all colors. It was beautiful to see, but also not the
kind of place one finds a diner. His
musings on the view were cut short.
“Hello,
sir.” Came a peppy voice.
Adam turned quickly to see a
smiling, very pretty young woman standing at the end of the booth. She must have been his waitress. He was not sure if he had been too distracted
to hear her arrival, or if there was another explanation for her sudden appearance.
“Welcome to the Multiverse Diner.”
She continued. “May I take your order?”
Adam had
so many questions, but he only asked the most pressing one. “Can I see a menu before I order?”
“Oh, no
need for menus here, sir. Let me guess,
this is your first time here?”
“Uh,
yeah, you could say that.” The fact that
he still had no idea where “here” was, was better left unsaid.
“Well,
sir, you’re in luck. We have the best
food in all of existence. Literally, all
of existence. And you can order whatever
you want. No restrictions, no
limits. If you can think it, we can make
it.”
“What? That makes absolutely no sense.” It was only after the words had been said
that he remembered that he still had no idea how he had gotten to the diner in
the first place. The waitress chuckled briefly.
“Oh, I
understand your confusion, sir. But
remember, this is the Multiverse Diner.
We have access to every time period of every timeline of every universe
there is. Literally all of existence is
open to this diner. So if you want it,
we have it without limit.”
Adam was
no very curious, and decided to test this so called limitless menu. “Okay, then how about a T-rex burger and fries?”
“Well,
if that’s what you want.” The waitress said slowly.
“Something
wrong?”
“Personally,
I wouldn’t go for T-rex. It’s tough and
stringy. Now, some people like that, but
me? I prefer stegosaurus. Very tender, with a slightly fruity
quality. Of course, if you’re looking
for a dinosaur with a more normal taste, I’d recommend velociraptor or ankylosaurus. The former tastes a lot like chicken, but
stronger, and the latter tastes like a beef and pork mixture, if you can
believe that.”
“Oh. I see.
Uh, I’ll keep that in mind for later, but I’d like to stick with my
order, if it’s all the same to you.”
The
waitress shrugged. “Suit yourself. And to drink?”
“How
about some ambrosia.”
“Oh, an
excellent choice on that one, sir. Very
high quality. I’ll be right back with
that.”
She did
indeed come back quickly with a cup of a thick, golden liquid that smelled of
flowers and honey. She smiled cheerfully
and went behind the counter, disappearing behind a set of swinging double
doors. While he waited for his food,
Adam tasted the beverage. It was by far
the best thing he had ever drank. Sweet,
savory, and every other flavor there was all blended into perfect harmony. He savored every drop until his burger came.
He bit
into it and found the waitress had been correct. The meat was tough and stringy, even after
being ground into a patty. It also did
not taste like any meat he had ever had.
He was not even sure what he could compare it to. Definitely not any of the meats he had ever
had, certainly. Despite the difficulty
eating it, it was a satisfying meal, and the fries were perfectly prepared. The waitress only returned after he had
finished.
“How was
everything?” She asked while clearing the plate.
“Everything
was good, thanks.”
“Excellent. I’ll be right back with the check. Oh, and don’t worry, we take every currency
in existence, so don’t worry about it.”
Adam was
getting more and more curious about the diner.
He had definitely never had a meal like that before, and he wondered if
he really had eaten T-rex meat. He would
have to find out if the diner really did extend to every reality. And he knew just how to do it.
When the
waitress came back and handed him the check, he asked his questions.
“Say,
uh, when it’s time to leave, do I just go out the door like normal?”
“Oh,
yes, sir. You’ll come out exactly when
and where you were when you came here, so you don’t need to worry about a
thing.”
“I
see. And what if I didn’t want to go
back there? Could I exit at a different
time? Or a different universe even?”
“Oh, I’m
sorry, sir, but that’s not possible.” She said.
Adam thought he saw a grim expression flash on her face, but he could
not be sure. “That feature of the
Multiverse Diner is only available to employees. Patrons will have to exit at the time and
place they entered.”
“I
see. In that case, I have one more
question for you?”
“What’s
that, sir?”
“Are you
hiring?”
*******************************************
I'd like to visit this place someday. I'd probably order a dragon steak though. I'd like to try dragon meat. It seems like it'd be good.
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